If you are trying to play it safe, like many other homeowners who use pure white paint everywhere, your home may end up being bland and devoid of character. However, If you want to make your home stand out with some personality, Sherwin Williams Oyster White is the way to go.
Oyster White is an iteration of off-white with hints of gray and beige. The color brightens up your space and strongly determines the choice of accent walls and interior designs.
Oyster White can be a good option for entire walls as its dynamic appearance is a head-turner. The interaction with other elements in the space also adds a unique touch to the space, similar to Sherwin Williams Repose Gray (SW 7015).
Pure white is not a very easy color to nail, which is why tangent colors like Greek Villa (7551) and Oyster White are a more dynamic option.
What Color Is Oyster White Sherwin Williams?
- LRV: 72
- RGB: 226 / 221 / 208
- Hex Value: #E2DDDO
- Location Number: 254-C7
Oyster White is best described as greige (a combination of gray and beige) due to its somewhat double face. The color belongs to the Color ID and Neutrals collection of Sherwin Williams.
The creamy color also has a slight undertone of green and yellow. This makes it slightly brighter than Alabaster (SW 7008), which has a stronger gray undertone, and Snowbound (SW 7004), which is very similar to Alabaster.
Oyster White LRV (Light Reflectance Value)
The Light Reflectance Value (LRV) refers to the amount of light a paint hue reflects. This parameter is measured on a scale of 0 to 100.
A paint with a score closer to zero falls on the dark spectrum, reflecting little light, while a score closer to 100 means a bright color, thereby reflecting more light.
LRV is important as it determines the range of colors used in select spaces. Oyster White has an LRV of 72, making it one of the bright colors that Sherwin Williams offers.
Oyster White Undertones
Oyster White is a calm color that would match a select variety of colors. It is known as a chameleon color due to the combination of hues.
Depending on the combination of accent color and positioning, Oyster White can appear gray or beige, giving strong undertones of green and yellow. More specifically, there are hints of taupe and violet.
The soft green undertone gives Oyster its subtle warmth, with deeper saturation than most whites. This undertone makes Oyster White suitable for exterior use as it is not as striking as pure white.
Combining Oyster White with a trim color with a higher LRV in the interiors would make the green undertone more visible and elegant.
Unlike most off-white colors, Oyster White exerts a subtle influence on the space that can sometimes be underestimated. Instead of being defined by the accent colors, Oyster White determines the adjoining colors.
Is Oyster White Sherwin Williams Warm Or Cool?
The warmth or coolness of a color refers to its visual and psychological impact on the users of the space. Contrary to popular belief, variants of white can be warm or cool.
Oyster White is no exception, as it can be classified as a subtle, warm, off-white color. This can be linked to the green undertone in the color, as green is generally classified as warm.
Color Pairing For Oyster White Sherwin Williams
There are a few colors that you can use in conjunction with Oyster White. These colors can be used in the interiors of your space to achieve eurythmy. The colors accentuating with Oyster can go on entire walls or be used as trims. You can pair other neutral colors with Oyster White or go for accent colors.
Here is a list of colors that can pair well with Oyster White:
Sherwin Williams Zurich White
Zurich White is another off-white variant by Sherwin Williams. It is a crisp and cool white with a violet undertone. With an LRV of 76, Zurich White (SW 7626) is slightly brighter than Oyster White and can be used on skirting and other select spaces, making it stand out. This combination would be made more visible with less light.
Sherwin Williams Requisite Gray
Sherwin Williams Requisite Gray color has a tone similar to Zurich White with a subtle gray undertone. It is a slightly darker shade of gray with an LRV of 45, albeit brighter than Iron Ore (SW 7069). This would serve as a suitable contrast to the Oyster White.
Requisite Gray would work best as a full wall color with Oyster White as the trim. You can opt for the Requisite Gray in select parts of the house, such as the dining or fireplace, to give dynamism to the home.
Roycroft Adobe
Roycroft Adobe (SW 0040) is a more vibrant derivative of red. With an LRV of 17, Roycroft Adobe is a great accent color for Oyster White. It has a muddy feel with hints of orange that work well with Oyster White because it is not a fully reflective white color.
This color will interact with Oyster White’s beige and yellow undertone to give an unpredictable accent. Roycroft Adobe also matches well with the green and gray undertone in Oyster White.
White Flour
To the untrained eyes, White Flour can be confused with Oyster White despite the obvious brightness. With an LRV of 87, White Flour is brighter than Oyster White by 15 points, making it a great trim color. White Flour brightens up the room with a cream undertone, making a subtle contrast with Oyster White.
Sherwin Williams Oyster White Interactions With Orientation
As mentioned earlier, Oyster White acts as a chameleon color, manifesting different undertones depending on its orientation and accent colors.
In a south-facing room, Oyster White gives off a beige undertone. However, this changes in a north-facing room, where the gray undertone becomes more pronounced.
Oyster White Sherwin Williams Interior
There are many different ways to use Oyster White in the interior of your home. They can be used on walls, in bedrooms, and other parts of the building.
Oyster White Walls
Oyster White interiors are stunning indoors when done right. The creamy color is warm, inviting, and cozy. Oyster White saves you from the stark and bland nature of using white in your interiors.
It is not so warm that it makes people uncomfortable within the space. You can use colors like Roycroft Adobe to buttress the earthy feel of your space or gray tile finish.
Within the living room, you can opt for a triadic color combination. This creative theme in interior design can combine Cyan and Teal with Oyster White as the anchor color in the space. The size of the living room can also determine the effectiveness of Oyster White in the space.
Oyster White In The Bedroom
Oyster White is a cozy color, making it suitable for the bedroom. You should consider the direction of the room before going with an overall color palette.
As stated earlier, the direction of the rooms determines the manifesting undertone. The color of the walls would go seamlessly with gray upholstery, giving the room a romantic yet regal finish.
Oyster White Floor And Ceiling Finish
When used extensively on the walls of a space, you should consider finishing the floor with a tile or wood. Consider extra white colors like Greek Villa, Extra White (SW 7006), or Alabaster (SW 7008) for the ceiling. Avoid using warmer colors for the ceiling.
Oyster White On Stairs
Oyster White is a great option for stairs when combined with suitable complementary finishes. The risers and skateboard can be painted with Oyster White, while the Thread and Nosing are finished with a variant of peach or other earthy colors.
Combined with wooden balusters and handrails, you get a classic historic outlook for your stairways.
Oyster White Cabinets
Oyster White can be used on cabinets in a similar way as they are used on stairways. The body of the cabinets is painted in Oyster White, while the top surface is finished with a color with a subtle violet and earthy feeling. This is dependent on the overall feel of the home.
Oyster White is a dynamic color that can be used in other spaces within the home, such as hallways and entryways.
Oyster White Sherwin Williams Exterior
Under the influence of daylight, the yellow undertone in Oyster White manifests, giving the exterior of your home a color that you cannot achieve with pure white paint. The appearance of Oyster White is too subtle to be called yellow, yet too warm to be mistaken for white.
This attribute makes Oyster White superior to white paint, giving your building depth. You can avoid the washed-out effect that white paint gives under sunlight. The Oyster Sherwin gives your home a perfect creamy finish, regardless of the material.
This effect makes Oyster White pair nicely with colors that otherwise would not be in the interior spaces. The color blends nicely with the green of your porch, the earth’s brown, and the roof’s darker tone.
You can easily opt for a wooden entrance door without fear of mismatching. You may experiment with Oyster White; the choice can range from blue to earth-tone brown.
The diversity of Oyster White becomes evident when combined with brick in the exterior of your home. Like Roycroft Adobe, the brick finish stands out and gives the building a unique outlook.
You can also opt for the pastel brick finish for your wall, using Oyster White as an effective trim on the edges of your building. This alternate option gives the building a different persona.
Color Comparisons
Oyster White vs. Alabaster
Oyster White is a darker, warmer hue than Alabaster but lighter than Greek Villa. This brightness makes Alabaster popular for people who require something closer to white.
Oyster White is dingy and earthy and blends well with colors in the gray, brown, and green spectrum. Alabaster has more of a yellow undertone than Oyster White.
Oyster White Vs. Shoji White
Shoji White is a cooler color compared to Oyster White. It has more beige and cream, while Oyster White is greige. They both share a green undertone, which makes them similar; however, Shoji White is slightly lighter than Oyster White.
Oyster White Vs. White Duck
White Duck is a pale greige color compared to Oyster White. With an LRV of 74, the White Duck is slightly brighter by a negligible 2 points. Both colors have a green undertone.
Oyster White Vs. Pearly White
Pearly White is closer in tone to Oyster White and Shoji White due to their similar green undertones. Pearly White is slightly lighter than Shoji White with a creamier tone.
Oyster White Vs. Natural Choice
Natural Choice can easily be confused for Oyster White, as they are just a shade apart. This color works for both interior and exterior purposes. Oyster White is slightly cooler than Natural Choice.
Oyster White Vs. Ivory Lace
Ivory Lace is slightly brighter than Oyster White. The color leans more toward the yellow undertone, minimizing the gray undertone of Oyster White.
Top Alternatives To Oyster White
Benjamin Moore Gray Mist
Gray Mist is the warm off-white option by Benjamin Moore with a green undertone. Grey Mist and Oyster White have very slight differences. Their LRVs are in close proximity, and they are both greige with a green undertone. Gray Mist, as the name implies, has more gray proclivities than Oyster White, which means it is not as warm as Oyster White.
White Dove
This is a warm color, just like Oyster White. However, it does not have the yellowish and orange base notes. This makes it brighter than Oyster White.
Benjamin Moore Natural Cream
This is a warm color with slight impressions of greige paint. The color hue is at an LRV of 64.78, giving the space a creamy look. This color is highly suitable for living rooms and kitchens due to the flexibility of the space. This color also has a dynamic touch as its undertones change under different light.
Conclusion
As you can see, Oyster White by Sherwin Williams is a great alternative for white. The gray and beige undertone is subtle yet classy due to its Light Reflectance value. The undertones of this color open you up to an interesting range of combinations.
Sherwin-Williams Oyster White is a good choice if you are out for a warm and gentle color that can work for both interiors and exteriors. You can also consider the other options mentioned above, depending on what you want in your space.